The Brewster Whitecaps have played 16.5 innings so far this season. They’ve only held a lead for about two of them.

For most teams, the tactic of playing from behind for such long stretches isn’t ideal. This holds especially true in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where early in the season every club’s mound tends to be reserved only for its most elite arms. This wave of top-tier talent on the bump more often than not shuts down any hopes of a comeback by the opposition, one blistering pitch at a time. Regardless, the Whitecaps have found ways to prove across their first two games that just because you’re down never means you’re out.

On Opening Day, things seemed bleak for Brewster six innings into its season. With just one hit so far, it found itself in a 2-0 hole as the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox threatened to add onto their advantage in the sixth. But the Whitecaps didn’t let the deficit perturb them. Through four consecutive walks, Brewster drew within a run and then snatched its first lead of the night on Josiah Ragsdale's (Boston College) ensuing line drive. The slim 3-2 margin held until the final out.

A similar scenario presented itself in the ninth inning Sunday night against the Falmouth Commodores. After taking a pitch to the chest, Erik Paulsen (North Carolina) made his way to first base, but didn’t stay there long. In his place shifted pinch runner Adam Magpoc (Boston College), who hadn’t appeared in the game at all up to that point. In a matter of seconds, he stole his way into scoring position.

“Every guy that comes in can eventually change the culture of your team,” Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik said. “(Magpoc) doesn't play today, but he comes in for a pinch run and three pitches later, he's standing on third base. That's electric. That's a guy that can help you win.”


With Magpoc slightly leading off the bag just feet from home plate, Blake Cyr (Florida) understood the assignment. On the next pitch, he walloped a two-run no doubter over the left field wall. From the moment the ball left Cyr’s bat, he knew it was gone.

“I’m super comfortable hitting with two strikes and with somebody in scoring position, so I automatically took the first two pitches,” Cyr said. “When (Magpoc) got to third, (the pitcher) just flipped me a slider, and I was like, ‘All right, let’s head over the fence.’”

Powered by Cyr’s clutch home run, the Whitecaps (2-0, 1-0 Eastern Division) stole a win in come-from-behind fashion for the second consecutive game, this time defeating the Commodores (1-1, 1-0 Western Division) 6-3 on Sunday. The victory marked the first time since 2017 that Brewster opened a season with back-to-back entries in the win column.

“There was absolutely no doubt. We had them right where we wanted them,” Shevchik said. “This is just the team that we might be. We go to sleep for seven, six innings and then show up. I’ll take it every time.”

While Jacob Dudan’s (NC State) five strikeouts the day before would be hard to replicate, the Whitecaps believed seasoned starter Elijah Foster (South Carolina) had the tools to do so against Falmouth. With a explosive fastball that tops out at 97 miles per hour, it seemed the only thing that could've gotten in the way of a strong outing for Foster was himself. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

Foster flexed his high heat early, but never quite found solid command throughout his three innings of work. Of the 81 offerings he tossed, just 27 of them found the strike zone. Foster also walked a game-high three batters. The upside? Brewster only trailed 2-1 by the time Douglas Bauer (Ohio State) replaced him to start the fourth.

“(Foster) was all over the zone, but he kind of limited the damage. He could have got himself into a lot more trouble,” Shevchik said postgame. “(If) he gives up three runs in the first inning, the game could have been over. He did a pretty good job of getting through two more innings and then turning it over to the bullpen.“

While Foster’s woes continued, Brewster’s bats didn’t do much to back him up. Besides Carson Tinney’s (Notre Dame) solo home run in the second inning, the Whitecaps only found their way on base once across the first three via a walk.

Then, Brewster’s bats slowly started to wake up. A Daniel Cuvet (Miami) leadoff double infused life into the dugout to open the fourth inning. A wild pitch moments later put him just a swing of the bat away from knotting the score at two apiece. In unorthodox fashion, Cuvet did so moments later as Tinney was caught in a rundown between second and first base. The scramble bought Cuvet just enough time to slide across home plate.

Although with momentum now back in their favor, the Whitecaps were again held back by mistakes on the mound. Just four pitches in, Bauer surrendered a base hit to Maika Niu (Marshall). Niu then stole second and advanced to third off a wild pitch, putting the reliever into an early jam. Another wild pitch by Bauer was all Niu needed to reach home and restore the Commodores edge, 3-2.

Following a silent fifth, the Whitecaps came one pitch away from delivering the next punch in the sixth. A Ty Head (NC State) walk and Falmouth fielding error on Carson Kerce’s (Goergia Tech) line drive into the 5-6 hole placed runners on the corners. Still without an out, a game-tying single seemed like a slam dunk for the heart of the Whitecaps order. Instead, its potent trio of Cuvet, Collin Priest (Clemson) and Tinney failed to capitalize, quickly going down in order as Falmouth’s defense put out the fire.

The missed opportunity was frustrating, but Cyr’s game-winning blast three innings later made the blunder seem all but irrelevant by the game’s end. With runners on second and third, Kerce solidified the Whitecaps’ comeback with an RBI single that emptied the bases. Ahead by a commanding three-run deficit, all Brewster’s dugout could do was watch as Justin Shadek took over on the mound and secured the save. While his players jumped up and down in celebration, Shevchik appeared unfazed amid the chaos.

After all, there was absolutely no doubt.

“This is the opposite of the team that I had last year. We had a team where if we were down by a run or two, it felt like 10. There was just no energy,” Shevchik said. “I think the more of these tight games that you play, you mix in a couple of walk-off wins, and that rallies every team behind everybody. That's the type of team that we want.”

Title photo credit: Kayla McCullough.